July 8 - Homeschool Mother's Journal

(This post is linked to Homeschool Mother's Journal)

In our homeschool this week…

We've been researching our new pet (see favorite things below), habitats, foods, etc... We've been researching care and feeding of chickens and searching for where to buy some. We've been researching how to build an incubator if we decide to hatch eggs. My daughter has been reading a lot. She made a deal with the teen to take over the teen's job of changing the kitty litter and feeding the animals, for pay. She received her first salary and promptly spent it on the first two books in the Kane Chronicles. I love when she finds a series she wants to read over and over.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

The pre-teen (formerly the little one) is heading off to camp on Monday so the excitement for this has been immeasurable. However she came down sick on Wednesday, fevers, chills, cough, etc... We're praying she is all better by Monday. Grandma heads to camp with her to be a counselor. Cross your fingers for good health.

My favorite thing this week was…

A new pet has joined our menagerie this week. We're not sure if we'll keep him or just study him and release again soon. Another favorite is Saturday. Hubby and I will celebrate our 23rd anniversary.. I'm thankful to God and all his workings in our lives. Without him, we would have never made it past the first year!

Things I’m working on…

Okay, I'm going to say it out loud... I'm planning homeschooling. I know, I'm not mentally ready for school to start but I'm feeling the need to begin some planning. I've been researching My Father's World, revisiting Sonlight, or trying to wing a history program. I'm a bit confused but I'm on a mission. I'll share our curriculum list when I figure it out. We usually start again in mid-August. We'll see. Maybe it will be after Labor Day. Who knows.

I’m reading…

A few books at the moment grace my bedside table: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Year of Plenty and Have a New Kid By Friday. All are wonderful so far and hard to put down.

I'm Cooking...

We hit the farmer's market last week and bought tons of veggies. Today I'm making a rhubarb pie. Actually two. One is rhubarb and peaches (for hubby who is allergic to strawberries), the other is strawberry rhubarb. It's my first foray into using rhubarb. Wish me luck!

I’m grateful for…

A few families we know from church have been getting together on Friday nights to hang out, play games and do a bible study. We've been studying our way through Philippians. What a blessing to my life, to my spiritual life that has been floundering in a desert without water. I've needed this so much. I've been rereading through Philippians as much as I can and seeing where I can apply it to my life.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

We attended Maker Faire in Kansas City the weekend before last. An event full of robots, inventions, science and art. It was amazing and very inspiring for the pre-teen. Here she is working one of the robots. (They have Maker Faires all over the country. Check it out for a city near you. Not to be missed!)

June 17 - Homeschool Mother's Journal

 (This is linked to the Homeschool Mother's Journal.)

In our homeschool this week…

Although our official all day schooling is over for the summer, we do a fair bit of learning still. Things we've learned, studied or talked about this week:

Egypt (little one is reading the Kane Chronicles series, Book 2)

Bugs (see garden post)

Tornadoes (we picked up Sim City 3000 at the thrift store and tornadoes can destroy your city!) plus our church is going down to Joplin, MO next week to help with the devastation there from tornadoes, so we've been discussing all of that

How to blanch greens (see garden post)
history of Winston Churchill (we're still discussing him, and need to order books, but the discussion started because I named my dog Winston Churchill because our first dog's name is Clementine. Winston's wife's name was Clementine, it seemed fitting. Also, he came up in some book the little one is reading as well.)

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

All we've been doing the past couple weeks is go to the pool, go bowling (free games through Kids Bowl Free!), go to church, walk the dogs, paint, draw and read. What a life. What a lovely lovely blessed life!

Questions/thoughts I have…

I'm curious what others use for 7th grade anything? I really have no plans yet except we'll keep our Latin for Children going and I plan to study American history, as well as the World's history during the time America was settled, up until now. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions. Could use a good foreign language program. We might study Spanish or mandarin Chinese? Who knows. :)

Things I’m working on…

Spring cleaning. Doesn't everyone use a bit of their summer to catch up on the things that get sloughed off during the school year? I've cleaned out my bedroom of all piles, clothes that don't fit or have stains, piles of books, papers, mail mail mail. It's so nice to have my room back! On my to-do list: Help the little one pare down her toys and clothes, clean closets, clean basement, hang curtains and new shades.

I'm Praying for...
I've been praying for guidance this week. Some things have been changing at hubby's work that mean less money for us and some expenses have come up that we're trying to pay for. So I'm trying to decide if I need to find a job, or start selling on Ebay again, or what? Not sure how to balance homeschooling and having my child home with me all summer, with working. Plus we're down to one car so I'd probably have to work in the evenings which takes away all my time with hubby. Like I said, just praying for guidance...

What we're reading…

I was excited to find a few good books to read at the thrift store last night. The little one is anxious to see the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but as of yet we have not let her. I found several Pirates of the Caribbean chapter books, some a spinoff of when Jack Sparrow was younger. For now, that will appease her interest.  I found these for me: 

10 Stupid Things Couples Do To Mess up Their Relationships by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

The New Glucose Revolution (I've been reading extensively on eating to the low glycemic index so this was a great find for me!)

I also picked up Ida B for her to read in the fall.

I’m cooking…

We've had such an explosion of Kale in our garden this year. I've given tons away but still it grows. So yesterday we blanched at least 4 Walmart bags full, plus one bag of Turnip greens. we then vacuum sealed them and froze for future eating. It's so nice to stock up food I've grown for when we might need it in the fall, like when I run out of money before I run out of month! lol

What are you doing this fine day?!

April 8th - Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week...
As I type, I'm sitting in a swanky (well, swanky to ME) hotel with a fellow homeschooling mom and we're chillin'. We're picking out the classes we want to attend at the homeschool conference that begins  this morning. Do I want to learn more about Charlotte Mason, the different writing programs I could use, WHY we homeschool, learning styles, raising digital natives, or my personal favorite 'How highly distractable moms have a real and God-given edge over the naturally organized mom.' Do you think that last class is tailor made for me or what?! lol

In our homeschool this week...

Let's be honest. This was a throw away week as far as planned, sit down, get er' done type of schooling. This was garden week. A gardening post is in the works for next week but I will tell you that hubby got our new raised beds built. The huge dirt load came on Tuesday, so you can imagine what the little one, I and our trusty wheel barrow were doing most the day. Plus I paid the teen's boyfriend to do most the dirt and the little one, grandma and I spent the day cleaning the yard of its winter sleep. Wednesday was spent all day planting seeds, in the beds and in pots for those vegetables that need to wait until after the last frost. Thursday was a clean up day, some Latin and lots of reading. With me at conference the end of this week, the little one has a relaxed schedule of reading, Latin and art today.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Next week is going to be interesting for us. I have the opportunity to run off on vacation with my mom and a friend so the little one will be homeschooling with another family. I'm wondering how well that will work with our relaxed style of schooling and their 'follow the list, get it all done' type. It will be interesting to see what gets done. 

My favorite thing this week was... 

Seeing all the baby seeds going into the gardening and dreaming of  a full blooming garden. The little one can't wait for her rainbow carrots to bloom! And this year we're trying peanuts. Crossing fingers they actually grow.

What's working/not working for us...
Time is not on our side. So much is going on that the school slacked this week. The attitude is still needing work but we're praying about it.


Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
I'm at conference this weekend. If you could go or are going, what would you be interested in looking at? What curriculum do you want to see with your own eyes? I'm going to be looking at writing curriculums as well as maybe a grammar. Those are high on my list. 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

I was thinking last night, 'why do I really need to go to this conference? I've homeschooled for 10 years, what do I plan to gain from it?' But then I thought, 'I can always benefit from learning something new.' Here's a few favorite learning quotes: 

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.  ~Henry L. Doherty
I am learning all the time.  The tombstone will be my diploma.  ~Eartha Kitt

Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.  ~Mark Twain

You learn something every day if you pay attention.  ~Ray LeBlond

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb

All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.  ~Martin H. Fischer

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.  ~Vernon Howard    

April 1st - Homeschool Mother's Journal

It's wrap up time for this week's Mother's Homeschool Journal. 

In my life this week...
I'm getting excited for the homeschool conference that commences next Thursday. It has been a week of researching the different things I want to look at during the curriculum fair. 

Our conference is only about 25 minutes away but I'm staying in a hotel, just for a little get away. This year I invited another homeschooling friend to stay with me. Two mothers with no children, no responsibilities, no dinners to cook, no nothing. But seeing as we're working hard to plan next year's homeschooling for our broods, its a small well deserved break from the norm. Don't you think?!

In our homeschool this week...
It's hard to explain my feelings about our homeschooling this week. I'm feeling... energized, on track. Usually by April we're so done with school. We don't want to look at another book, another video, another anything. 

I really think the change in plan this year has made all the difference. Knowing that we have eventual burnout after February, I planned lots of time off. We work hard Monday through Thursday so we can have Fridays off. Still, on those days the little one reads a lot and we usually have a day out with grandma which includes the farmer's market, baking, game playing, antique shopping (lots of history discussions going on there, ) and occasional visits to the museum and such. 

We also have been doing school for 6 weeks and then taking a week off (you can see the schedule I made up here.) This has worked wonders for us! Love it. I will continue it next year. 

Places we're going and people we're seeing...
Today, Friday was our day off school. Hubby ended up back at home by 830 am saying the little company he works for had closed down due to most of the people being sick. So that's the nice thing about working for a small company. A bonus was that the teen did not have work. So we had a lovely day of being together, one we haven't had in a long time. We went to Lowes, bought wood for 4 more raised beds, stuffed a wheelbarrow in our car, cut wood and managed to put together 2 of the beds so far. The kids went to the park, walked to McD's for ice cream and hubby and I spent some quality time together outdoors. It was one of the best days in a long time.

My favorite thing this week was...
Listening to the little one practice memorizing Romans 12. She says it like she is a southern bible thumpin' preacher with vim and vigor (this is how hubby memorized it years ago and we find it so funny. Helps you remember it.) I swear, when she has it all memorized, I will be taping her. So funny. And what a good lesson Romans 12 is.

What's working/not working for us...
Right now most everything is working for us. I'm crossing my fingers, eyes and toes that it stays that way until our school is done for the semester.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...
If anyone else is a Charlotte Mason follower, we have tried to do things her way this year but we did almost nothing with nature. Until now. We're planning and executing the garden, getting chicks in a few weeks. I'm wondering what we can do to make this nature stuff we're doing more meaningful and more in line with Charlotte Mason way. Any suggestions? I'm thinking we need to start Nature journals. The little one loves to draw so she can draw things as they start to grow in our garden.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

Today while outside building raised garden beds, the sun was peeking around clouds and was just stunning. Had to take a picture. You can kind of see how big our yard is. See the fence WAAAAAYYYYYY back there? Yup. About 200 feet. Time to clean the yard up. Spring is here!

March 25th - Homeschool Mother's Journal

The Homeschool Mother's Journal began as a single post on a Friday morning (at The Homeschool Chick), and turned into a link-up for homeschool mothers across the blog-O-sphere to share a piece of their journey with one another each week.   .
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To visit the most recent Homeschool Mother's Journal post, please click HERE

In my life this week...

So, we've made a family decision. Chickens will be our new pet! Hopefully this weekend we can start building a coop. Perhaps after a nice long yard clean up. I've created a Chicken Farmers page on this blog where I'll keep info I come across as we figure out this new endeavor.

In our homeschool this week...

Some days I see a dedication to the little one's work, others it's a struggle for immediate obedience. We've hit the puberty stage and stubbornness reigns. We're constantly discussing what God would want us to do and how he would want us to act. We're currently memorizing Romans 12 and the topic of 'Do Not transform to the patterns of this world' has had many a discussion. I consider the world's focus to be a selfish, me-driven, do what I want, give me give me type focus. I do not want that for our family. Our homeschool has been very focused this week on obedience. We're practicing the term I read on someone's post from the Charlotte Mason Carnival this week that said 'I will obey immediately with a happy heart.' We talked about how the little one doesn't want to get in trouble, and really does want to do what is right but is letting her anger and selfish thoughts get in the way of obeying with a happy heart. It's an ongoing process. This week's carnival  was all about obedience. Very enlightening. All homeschooling must have a base of obedience or its so much harder to accomplish.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Sunday we did spend with our whole extended family for a birthday party. My nephew turned 13. Why do they have to grow up? It was a wonderful relaxing time. Chili, cake, ice cream, lots of laughter, beautiful sunshine, riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline. I love those type of get togethers. Found out on Monday that the teen has Strep Throat so I'm hoping against hope that no one contracted it on Sunday. 

During the week we did not go many places. We tend to hole up in the house, doing our homeschool and spending leisurely evenings at home. The little one has a major part in the church play so on Wednesday night she had choir practice for the songs and on Saturday they will rehearse the lines. I can't wait until her play on April 30th and May 1st!

My favorite thing this week was...

Honestly? Reading books about chickens and planning the new gardening beds and what we'll plant in them. I think I'm ready for spring!

What's working/not working for us... 

We're pretty much up to speed on all our subjects, including all of our homeschool paperwork and records. This is a coup for me as I'm never up to speed on records in March! Our Latin for Children is going slower than I'd imagined. I didn't pick up the curriculum until October so we started late. We should probably be in chapter 18-20 and we're only on 10 but I feel confident in what she knows, and we didn't do much Latin during December.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

We've used so many math programs over the years, I just don't know what to look at for next year. This year we used 2 different books. One a regular textbook used in public schools and then we're finishing up with Saxon 76, in which I'm catching the things she did not know on the placement test she took at Saxon to see what book to use next. Should I go with Saxon 87, Saxon Algebra 1/2? What about Teaching Textbooks. I like that one but my pocketbook does not. Just don't know. Don't want to buy the wrong thing and then it not be the right thing for us...

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

This week I feel pulled in many directions. With gardens needing planning, a coop needing to be built, I'm going to conference in two weeks and then hopefully on a vacation with my mom for a week or so after that.  While I'm gone hubby is refinishing our cruddy wood floors so all our rooms need to be organized so they can be moved out. I feel rushed and stressed and sometimes want to just chuck it all and say forget it. But I'm reminded of one of my favorite Thoreau quotes. While I choose to find my Eternity in Heaven, the rest applies:

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.
 - Henry David Thoreau.